With 64.7 lakh subscribers on his YouTube channel 'Sach Tak News' and 40 lakh followers on Facebook, Manish Kashyap is a sensation on issues related to Bihar.
(Photo: Altered by The Quint)
Video Producer: Vishnu Gopinath
Video Editor: Pawan Kumar
Attempt to murder, attack on police personnel, spreading communal disharmony – YouTuber and journalist Manish Kashyap has a range of allegations against him in at least 10 cases filed across two states.
With 64.7 lakh subscribers on his YouTube channel 'Sach Tak News' and 40 lakh followers on Facebook, Kashyap is a sensation on the video-sharing platform and social media on issues related to Bihar.
The post by Kashyap had screenshots from a video of Bihar workers being thrashed in Coimbatore, following which, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took cognisance. Hours later, the Tamil Nadu police confirmed that the video was fake, but the damage was already done.
Tripuri Kumar Tiwari aka Manish Kashyap, 31, hails from Champaran and calls himself the 'Son of Bihar'. An engineering graduate from Pune, Kashyap started his YouTube channel 'Sach Tak News' in 2018, which primarily began highlighting issues from rural parts of Bihar.
As his popularity rose, so did the allegations of 'propaganda' by several leaders of the ruling government.
While he was jailed in 2019 for an alleged scuffle with local Kashmiris following the Pulwama attack, charge sheets have been filed against him in at least five other cases.
On 8 March, Kashyap posted screenshots from his Twitter handle of a video that showed two injured workers in Tamil Nadu narrating their woes of working in the southern state because they cannot speak Tamil.
In the post, Kashyap attacked Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, too.
A fact-check by The Quint's WebQoof team confirmed that the video that went viral before Kashyap posted the screenshots was scripted.
A few hours after Kumar took cognisance of the post, the Tamil Nadu police tweeted that the video was fake.
Subsequently, the Bihar police registered a case against him and the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) froze four of his bank accounts.
Kashyap's rivalry with Tejashwi is well known. He had his first showdown with Yadav last year when he alleged that a Gurugram mall raided by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) belonged to the Bihar deputy CM, following which the latter had issued a clarification on the matter.
In an interview given to TV9 Bharatvarsh days before his arrest, Kashyap alleged a conspiracy in Tamil Nadu to attack Bihari workers to not let the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) get stronger in the state. "Who knows if Bihar's Yuvraj (Tejashwi Yadav) is a part of this conspiracy since he cuts cakes with their CM MK Stalin?" Kashyap said.
"I am not scared of the authorities, but will Tejashwi Yadav be punished if I am proved innocent?" he asked.
Since the first FIR, Kashyap amplified his attacks on Yadav on the YouTube channel and has blamed the RJD for targeting him and his family.
Before he surrendered, Kashyap said that he trusted the Constitution and the judiciary and that he was being targeted for raising important questions.
In the 8.50 min-long clip, Kashyap said: "So many politicians, newspapers, and other social media users posted reports of attacks on Bihar migrants in Tamil Nadu, but the police and the authorities targeted me. My account has been frozen in which they said they 'found' Rs 42 lakh. Have you ever heard of the police addressing the media for money that is in somebody's account? Both my Aadhaar and PAN cards are linked to it. It is taxable money," he said.
In another video posted with his mother, Kashyap urged his supporters to "take care of his mother."
In the interview given to TV9 Bharatvarsh, Kashyap said that he clearly mentioned in his post that "the authorities should clarify if the post is real or fake" but the fact that Bihar migrants face discrimination is true.
Nagesh Samrat is a former acquaintance of Kashyap and has formerly been associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
"He is being harassed deliberately," he said.
Senior journalist from Bihar, Arun Pandey, said that Kashyap often finds himself in controversy since he is "connected with several big leaders of the state."
Anand Kaushal, president of the Web Journalists Association of India, said: "As a web journalist, Manish Kashyap has crossed several lines. There are questions being raised on his integrity. The association condemns such practices," he said.
"Web journalists should not push boundaries to an extent where they end up crossing ethical lines," he added.
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Published: 20 Mar 2023,06:51 PM IST